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Horse Friends

My recent posts about blacksmiths and farriers, coupled with the tragic news of FIVE horses dying at Cheltenham this week, got me maudlin about Danny and Nimbus, two horses that were in my life many years ago.

A really good friend of mine, and a besotted horse lover, had recently, after many many months of saving, bought herself a much wanted horse, a chestnut gelding called Danny. I learnt to ride on him, with my friend (D) he was lively and exciting, but with me he was the perfect gentleman.

Eventually I decided I would like a horse of my own, so D and I starting looking around for a suitable bombproof one. At long last we found him at a riding stables, a grey nicknamed granddad, he was a very old looking, hard worked gelding.

To cut a long story short, we rented a field, we built stables and Danny and Nimbus (couldn’t call him granddad) became firm friends.

Until that fateful day in April 1990, we were returning from a beautiful evening ride, sun shining, clear blue skies, when a car careered into Danny, Nimbus bolted down the road, once I’d managed to pull him up I turned to see Danny lying in the road, with D frantically trying to get him up. A vet was called and diagnosed Danny had broken his pelvis, Nimbus was becoming distraught, so I took him back to the field, I found out later that evening there was nothing they could do for Danny and the vet had to shoot him to put him out of his agony, D had shattered her hand and had been taken to hospital. The drivers excuse…………’I was late to meet my boyfriend’

I don’t think Nimbus ever got over the loss of his friend, he started to lose weight and was diagnosed with cancer not long after. Eventually he went to meet Danny at Rainbow Bridge.